Burps and Hiccups
by 11makeawish11
Summary: Hiccup's cousin, Burp, is the future chief of the Bone Breaker Tribe, and is visiting Berk in search of something he needs to take up the mantle: a wife. What will happen when he takes an interest in Astrid?
1. Chapter 1

AN: This is an idea I've been playing around with for a while- It takes place smack in the middle of the time skip between the 2 movies. I haven't finished writing the story yet so updates will be sporadic... I don't know much about Viking history- I'm just a fan of HTTYD, so please be kind. Other than that I own NOTHING! I made up Burp and the Bone Breaker Tribe so any similarities are purely coincidental. I do NOT own HTTYD!

*~*11*11*~*

Today was the day.

Hiccup groaned and sat up slowly, scratching his head and looking around his room.

In the corner, Toothless grunted in his sleep and Hiccup glared jealously at him.

"Lucky dragon."

Shoving off his blanket, Hiccup attached his prosthetic leg, stood up and stretched before making his way downstairs.

His father wasn't in the house so he grabbed a mug of yak milk and went outside to look for him.

Shivering from the cold, he found him standing by the docks looking out at the ocean.

"Uh… morning, dad."

"Hiccup."

"Are they… are they here yet?"

"Not yet. Any minute now."

"Oh… well, okay. I'm just gonna go ride with Toothless, then, uh, I'll be at the house."

"Just a moment now, I'd like to speak with you."

Stoick turned around and Hiccup cringed.

"Yeah?"

"Now, I know you and your cousin haven't been friendly in recent years, but this is the first time he's coming to Berk in years. Can you at least try to be polite?"

Hiccup sighed,

"Yeah, dad… Sure I will."

Stoick grinned,

"Good boy, now go make sure Toothless is prepared for a guest- don't want him taking a bite out of your cousin's leg, now do we?"

Stoick chuckled but Hiccup rolled his eyes,

"Toothless would never," he stopped and took a deep breath, "okay dad, sure. I'll go do that now."

*~*11*11*~*

Back at the house, Toothless was waiting outside, pacing the length of the front yard anxiously. When he saw Hiccup approaching he ran to greet him.

"Hey, buddy."

Toothless rubbed his nose against Hiccup's chest, purring.

"Good to see you too… hey, remember what I said the other day? About my cousin coming?"

Toothless stopped purring and blinked once.

"Well, he's coming today and I need you to be on your best behavior- okay?"

Toothless grunted.

"Good dragon… now let's go flying."

*~*11*11*~*

The sky was the only place Hiccup felt at ease.

Even after the battle with the Red Death when everyone started to accept him, there were times when Hiccup still felt like the odd man out.

It was times like that when he took to the sky.

Up there, it was just him, Toothless, and unlimited possibilities.

They spent an hour in the sky, doing flips, dives, and- Hiccup's personal favorite- free falls.

When they finally landed, Hiccup left Toothless with a bucket of fish and went to rejoin his father at the docks.

A large group of people had gathered around his father and Hiccup scowled.

Burp had a welcoming committee.

He tore his gaze away from the group and looked at the horizon, his stomach dropping at the sight of a ship.

He was here.

*~*11*11*~*

Hiccup stood beside his father as the boat got closer and closer to the dock.

At the bow, an intimidatingly tall figure was hidden in the shadow of the sails, his hands resting nonchalantly on his hips.

When the ship hit the dock, some sailors let the ramp down and the tall figure left the shadows of the sails to make his way to the dock, spreading his arms as his welcoming committee cried various greetings.

He waved to them but made a beeline to Stoick and Hiccup,

"Uncle Stoick! Well don't you look as vast as ever!"

"Burp!"

Stoick embraced the youth, encasing him in a rub-crunching hug.

Hiccup watched the exchange with a sour expression until they parted and the new arrival turned to face him.

He was tall and thin, yet his shoulders were broad and thick with muscles. His auburn hair was just visible under his helmet, and his green eyes were gleaming with excitement.

"Hiccup!"

Without warning, he was in a throttling hug, gasping for air.

"Why, you haven't changed a bit! Except for…"

The boy released him and took a step back as Hiccup rubbed his neck.

"What in Thor's name happened to your leg?"

Stoick clapped Hiccup on the back.

"That's a story for tonight! And Odin is it a good one! You just wait!"

Hiccup rolled his eyes,

"Yes I just can't wait to tell him."

Burp laughed loudly and obnoxiously.

"Aw, come now! You're not still mad about the last time I visited, are you?"

"You kidnapped me in the middle of the night, brought me to the beach, tied me up, and left me for dragon food."

Burp threw his head back and howled with laughter along with several members of his welcoming committee; even Stoick let out a chuckle.

"Oh I remember when we found you. Crying and screaming, you were!"

"What's this about Hiccup crying and screaming?"

Hiccup swirled around and, to his horror, saw Astrid approaching, pushing her way through the mob of Burp-admirers.

"Oh no, no, nothing! We were just-"

"And who is this?"

Burp's voice was too interested for Hiccup's liking, and he was about to respond when Stoick cut him off,

"This is Hiccup's lady friend, Astrid."

"Hiccup has a lady friend?"

Once again, he threw his head back and howled with laughter accompanied by some twitters from the crowd.

Hiccup turned to Astrid, bright red, and gestured to his cousin.

"Astrid, this is my cousin, Burp."

She eyed the laughing Viking with raised eyebrows, but made no comment.

When he finally calmed down, Burp brushed a tear from his eye and stood up,

"Well Astrid, it's a pleasure to meet you… Though I'm not quite sure what you're thinking- being with a boy like Hiccup, here."

He shook his head, chuckling while Hiccup turned even redder.

"So, uh, Burp, welcome to Berk and I will be going now."

He quickly stepped towards Astrid and, taking her wrist, began to tug her away when-

"Hiccup! You've forgotten: we need to introduce Burp to Toothless."

Hiccup stopped walking and dragged a hand down his face.

"Right, fine, fine… I forgot. Burp, Toothless- got it."

"That's my boy… now you hurry along. I'll get everything sorted out with Burp's ship."

After prying him away from his fans, Hiccup and Astrid led Burp to his house, where the barrel of fish was empty and Toothless was nowhere to be found.

Hiccup sighed and cupped his hands around his mouth,

"Toothless! C'mere, bud! I've got someone I want you to meet!"

Silence greeted him and Burp turned to Astrid,

"Who is he-?"

A creaking sound from above their heads caused everyone to look up. Toothless was sitting on the roof of Hiccup's house, looking down on the group with narrowed eyes.

Burp cursed and reached for a knife on his belt,

"Get back! Away, you nasty beast! Or I'll-"

"No! No, no!"

Hiccup grabbed his arm and wrenched the knife from his hand. Burp made a small sound of disbelief,

"Hiccup! What do you think you're doing?!"

He made a dive for his knife, but Hiccup passed it to Astrid, who caught it neatly and twirled it between her fingers.

"Burp, dragons here- dragons here are trained."

"Trained?! Hiccup have you gone mad?! You can't train these beasts!"

"Burp, listen…. No, on second thought… just watch."

He turned to Toothless and patted his knees,

"C'mere Toothless, come meet my cousin."

Toothless bared his teeth at them, growling.

"Now, now, is that any way to treat our guest? Come on, come down."

Toothless hesitated for a moment before gently crawling down the side of the house and walking to Hiccup's side.

"Burp, this is Toothless. Toothless, Burp."

Toothless growled at him and Hiccup sighed,

"He's not usually like this, you scared him"

Burp was silent, staring back and forth between Hiccup and Toothless before finally shaking his head.

"I don't believe it! You can actually control these beasts?"

Burp began circling Toothless, his eyes wide and his jaw dropped.

Hiccup made a hopeless gesture to Astrid behind Burp's back and she shook her head slowly before pulling him off to the side.

"This is the cousin who used to put dead rats in your boots and threaten to feed you to dragons?"

Hiccup sighed.

"The one and only… between him and Snotlout I'm seriously beginning to wonder if I was adopted."

Astrid rolled her eyes,

"Why is he here?"

Hiccup sighed again and glanced at Burp. He was now examining Toothless's tailfin and wearing an expression similar to that of a child on Snoggletog.

"His dad was my mom's brother. They used to visit us every summer- and as you can see he was very popular- but he stopped coming when my mom died. Burp turned eighteen a while ago and my dad said he's getting ready to become chief, and part of the preparations include traveling to neighboring islands and becoming familiar with the residents."

Hiccup stuffed his hands in his pockets and kicked at a stray rock.

Approaching footsteps made them all turn around to see Stoick marching up to the house.

"Ah, good! I see you've met Toothless, then?"

Burp shook his head in amazement.

"You've outdone yourself this time, Uncle Stoick! How in the name of Thor did you train these beasts?"

Toothless growled and Stoick chuckled, but before he could speak Astrid cut him off.

"He didn't. Hiccup did."

It was silent for a moment, then Burp burst out laughing.

"Oh you're a funny lass you are! I like you!"

Astrid just stared at him until Stoick stepped up and rested a hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

"She's not kidding, Burp. Hiccup is the one who initiated peace with the dragons and ended the war."

Burp froze and looked back and forth between Stoick and Hiccup, as if he was expecting one of them to shout "just kidding!" When they didn't he only shook his head again and turned back to Toothless.

"Well then… I see he's missing a tailfin- how did that happen? And what does this contraption do? Does it help him fly?"

Burp directed the questions to Stoick but Hiccup cleared his throat,

"The tailfin helps him fly. Without it he can't keep himself in the air."

Burp looked at him incredulously.

"How did Gobber design such a tool?"

Hiccup curled his hands into fists and spoke through his teeth.

"He didn't. I did."

Burp smirked at him.

"Sure you did… Well then how does it work, Hiccup?"

Fighting the urge to smack his cousin in the face, Hiccup walked past him to mount Toothless.

He had just adjusted his prosthetic foot in the stirrup when he felt Burp grab his upper arm and wrench him away from Toothless.

"What in the name of Thor's hammer are you doing?!"

Toothless growled at abrupt way Burp handled Hiccup and he let go of his arm immediately.

"Burp- relax. You said you wanted to see how the tail worked and Toothless can only fly when I'm riding him."

Burp gawked.

"You actually ride these beasts?!"

"Yes- and will you stop calling them that?"

Burp just continued to gawk in amazement, mumbling "Odin's beard" under his breath as Hiccup heaved himself back onto the saddle and patted Toothless's head,

"Ready bud?"

Toothless grunted and spread his wings, causing Burp- who was standing too close- to stumble back and fall.

Despite himself, Hiccup grinned as he soared off into the air, the wind pushing his hair back off his forehead.

He'll admit that he showed off- but most of the acrobatics were Toothless's idea. After a while, the pair landed back in front of Burp, Stoick and Astrid, as well as a few other Vikings who had gathered to see the show, and get a chance to talk to Burp.

Astrid was wearing a smug expression as Burp babbled incoherently. As Hiccup dismounted he was able to make out a few things, such as "Thor" "Odin," along with a few other words he wouldn't dare repeat.

After a while he calmed down and stepped forward, running his hand along Toothless's saddle.

"Amazing! Absolutely amazing!"

Hiccup ran a hand through his wind-tousled hair, trying to appear nonchalant.

"Well, it's really easy once you have your trust. All you have to do is-"

"Not you! The dragon!"

Hiccup's face fell and he shrugged,

"Yeah, Toothless is pretty amazing, that's for sure."

Burp turned back to them and put his hands on his hips.

"Right, then. When do I get a go?"

Hiccup burst out laughing.

"You- you can't be serious!"

"And why can't I?"

"Burp… you haven't been on Burp for an hour- you haven't even known Toothless for ten minutes!"

"And?"

"And it takes longer than that to earn a dragon's trust! Toothless doesn't let just anyone ride him."

Burp crossed his arms and glared at Hiccup,

"He lets you ride him- and you're a no one."

Silence followed his words and Hiccup felt blood rush to his face as a few of the gathered Vikings began whispering.

Astrid reached for her axe but Stoick stepped between them, efficiently putting an end to her action as well as the whispering.

"That's enough. Burp, let's go get you settled at the house. Hiccup was kind enough to give you his room for your stay."

Hiccup glared at him as he walked away with his father. When they were out of earshot he turned and rounded on Astrid.

"Can you believe him?! He hasn't even been on Berk for five minutes and he's already- UGH!"

Hiccup dragged his hands down his face and kicked at the grass.

Toothless whined and Astrid looked at him sadly,

"What he said was uncalled for and I would've slammed him with my axe if I could've… but don't you see, Hiccup? He's jealous."

Hiccup looked at her incredulously,

"Burp, the ever-muscular future chief of the Bone Breaker Tribe- jealous of me, a scrawny mess-up?"

Astrid lightly punched his shoulder,

"That scrawny mess-up has done more for a tribe that isn't his yet than the ever-muscular almost chief has done for his!"

"Yeah, but-"

"Not to mention everything he's done for Vikings in general."

Hiccup blushed slightly and looked down at the ground,

"Yeah but that doesn't mean he's jealous."

Astrid gave him an icy glare,

"Come on Hiccup! Last time he saw you all you were was a scrawny little mess-up. You couldn't walk out your front door without doing something wrong. And from what you've told me I can assume that even back then, Burp was a towering man with facial hair and had killed Thor only knows how many dragons! He felt superior to you."

Hiccup looked at her, his expression flat.

"Thank you, for summing that up.

"I'm not done, now listen… When he arrived here I bet he thought you were going to be the same as you were back then. Granted, you're still not as big- but you've done something! You've become someone! Someone who, if I might add, is much more appealing than he is."

Hiccup grinned at her and sighed.

"Okay, maybe I was being stupid… but I still can't believe he's staying here for a whole month."

"We'll just have to make the best of it… After all there is still one place you can go that he can't."

"Oh? And where might that be?"

Astrid smiled,

"The sky."


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thank you all so much for the favorites, follows and reviews! :) I do NOT own HTTYD.

*~*11*11*~*

A few hours later, Hiccup and Astrid walked back to their homes, both wind swept and rosy-cheeked. After a quick goodbye they separated and Hiccup and Toothless trudged up to their house where they could see smoke billowing from the chimney.

Hiccup nudged the door open as Toothless nestled himself in a patch of grass outside.

He found his father seated at the table with Burp, both finished with dinner, but Stoick was in the midst of telling Burp a story and neither of them had heard him enter.

"I could hardly see! There was smoke and fire _everywhere!_ Thor almighty I was waiting for the blasted thing to burst from the fog and swallow me whole!"

He was telling the story of the Red Death.

Burp was hypnotized by his uncle's voice, and with a smug expression Hiccup hung by the door, deciding to wait until Stoick had finished the story to announce his presence.

"Then what happened?" Burp asked anxiously.

"I kept walking! I called his name over and over until I came upon his dragon. The poor beast was hurt and exhausted. It rolled onto its side and I saw what was left of my boy's saddle. It was torn and burned- I expected the worst. Then the great beast unfolded its wings- and right in its wings was Hiccup!"

Burp raised his eyebrows, his mouth slightly ajar.

"He was alive! I kept thanking Thor that he was alive! And the beast was dead! Killed by its own fire!"

Stoick howled with laughter and Burp shook his head in amazement.

"I never would have guessed… _Hiccup the Useless_ saving an entire tribe _?"_

Stoick chuckled softly,

"Aye we all thought the same thing… but when it came down to it all we needed was a little _Hiccup."_

There was an odd expression on Burp's face. Hiccup couldn't see very well from the shadows he was hiding in, but it looked like a mixture of disbelief and reluctant awe.

Before he could examine it more, however, his cousin stood up and yawned hugely.

"Well… that was a bedtime story sure to give me nightmares."

Stoick chuckled,

"Going to bed so early?"

"It was a long day of traveling, and I'd like to get up early tomorrow to see one of Berk's legendary sunrises."

He smiled before walking to the stairs,

"Goodnight Uncle Stoick."

"Sleep well, Burp."

Hiccup waited until after Burp had closed his bedroom door and Stoick went into the kitchen to walk out of the shadows and join his father.

"Dad?"

Stoick jumped.

"Hiccup! Thor almighty don't sneak up on me like that! I didn't hear you come in!"

Hiccup's lip twitched as he sat down.

"Sorry… where's Burp?"

Stoick jerked his head to the staircase,

"Went to bed, he had a long day."

Hiccup sighed and stood up,

"I have to get some things from my room- do you think he's asleep yet?"

"Naw, but be quiet. He said he wanted to get up early tomorrow."

Hiccup nodded as he made his way upstairs. When he reached his room he paused and pressed his ear to the door. It was silent except for someone breathing so Hiccup nudged the door open with his good foot and peered inside.

Burp was sitting on the edge of the bed untying his boots but he glanced up at the sound of the door opening,

"Hiccup."

"Oh don't mind me, Burp- not that you ever do. I just need to grab a few things and I'll be out of your way… hopefully for the rest of the month," he added under his breath as he reached down to grab his sketchbook from the floor.

Burp stood up and removed his helmet, throwing it carelessly onto the bed.

"Well… Actually, I'd like to have a word."

Hiccup groaned as he straightened up and stuffed the book under his arm,

"You know Burp, I'm not interested in what you have to say. You made it pretty clear this morning that you don't think very much of me and-"

"But that's what I wanted to talk to you about. You see Hiccup… I was just talking to your dad and he told me about the Red Death."

"Yeah…"

"So it's true, then?"

"Look Burp, I don't really see how this matters."

"Doesn't matter? Thor's beard, Hiccup of course it matters!"

"I doubt it. Either way, you'll still think I'm _Hiccup the Useless._ "

"But don't you see?! That's just it!"

"What's it? Burp, what are you talking about?"

"Hiccup, all those years when we were kids I was embarrassed to be related to you because you couldn't do _anything_ right! I thought by associating with you my tribe would think I was weak, and they wouldn't want me to be their future chief!"

"Oh, well thanks _so_ much for clearing that up."

"You don't understand, I did everything I could to make sure that everyone knew I wanted nothing to do with you. But now- Odin's socks Hiccup, _now_ you've earned my respect!"

Hiccup gawked at his cousin, at a loss for words,

"Um… thanks?"

"No need to thank me! Thank yourself! What do you say you and me spend some time together tomorrow? I'm going to be with your father all morning, but afterwards you can tell me more about the Red Death and teach me what you know about those blasted beasts."

"Um, okay… I mean, sure. But really, they're not beasts, they're actually very intelligent-"

"Oh-ho! Save it for tomorrow, chap. It's been a long day."

Burp yawned hugely and clapped Hiccup on the shoulder,

"We'll get to it in the morning. But right now I need some shut eye."

"Yeah, sure I just need…"

Hiccup's sentence trailed off as he grabbed a few of his belongings and shuffled out of the room, glancing over his shoulder before he closed the door.

"Night, Hiccup."

"Uh… goodnight Burp."

Hiccup closed the door and mouthed, "wow" before descending down the stairs. At the sound of his footsteps, Stoick poked his head out of the kitchen,

"Is Burp still up?"

"Uh… yeah, but he's going to bed now."

"I was just going to call it a night myself."

"I'm not hungry," Hiccup said absently, his head spinning from his conversation with Burp.

"What was that, son?"

"Huh?"

Stoick raised his eyebrows,

"I just said I was going to call it a night. I've got myself a busy day tomorrow."

"Oh. Yeah, right. Me too."

Stoick and Hiccup stood in awkward silence, staring at each other for a few seconds before Stoick casually clapped his hands together,

"Right then. I'm off to bed. Goodnight, son."

"Yeah… night dad."

Stoick closed the door to his room as Hiccup began making himself a makeshift bed on the couch, still mulling over Burp's speech.

Where did it come from? For as long as he can remember, Burp- alongside Snotlout- has been the bane of his existence. Was it really all just because he was _Hiccup the Useless?_ Hiccup shook his head. Of course it was. That's the reason everyone on Berk treated him so terribly.

But for Burp to come forward and say it so blatantly?

Well, then again his cousin never was one for subtlety.

*~*11*11*~*

Astrid got up early the next morning. She had a long day ahead of her, and in order for her to get started on it she needed a sharp axe.

Hiccup was usually at the forge first thing anyway, stowed away in his closet working on this crazy invention or that crazy idea.

Her dragon was waiting for her when she walked out of her house.

"Hey, girl!"

Stormfly purred as Astrid scratched under her chin.

"Why don't you take a lap around the island and then meet me at the forge? Then we can go for a nice long flight together, what do you say?"

Stormfly squawked and spread her wings, taking off with a gust of wind.

Astrid watched her disappear into the clouds before making her way over to the forge. When she arrived she found a large man hesitating in the doorway. He turned around at the sound of her footsteps and she scowled.

Burp.

His face lit up when he saw her and he raised his hand in greeting,

"Hello there! Hiccup's friend- Astrid, was it?"

"That's right."

She bypassed him and went through the door into the forge,

"Hiccup?"

"He isn't here, nor is Gobber. I stopped by to see if I could have a sword or an axe made. It appears I left my own back home."

Astrid snorted in amusement,

"What kind of Viking leaves his weapons behind when he travels?"

Burp chuckled and removed his helmet to scratch his head,

"The optimistic kind?"

"More like idiotic."

Burp chuckled again,

"I see you don't leave the house unarmed."

He gestured to her axe that she had hanging from her belt,

"I would think having domesticated dragons you wouldn't need to carry any weapons."

Astrid drew her axe and spun it in her palm,

"A warrior should always be prepared."

"I take it you don't have a dragon to protect you, then?"

Astrid glared at him,

"I do have a dragon, Stormfly. But she isn't a weapon, she's my best friend. She protects me out of loyalty- not duty. Not that I need her protection, I can take care of myself."

Burp grinned,

"I never said you couldn't. In fact, I'm sure you can."

Astrid glared at him suspiciously before turning away and drumming her fingers on the forge window impatiently. Burp cleared his throat,

"That's a beautiful axe you've got there. Fine craftsmanship."

For the first time in their conversation, Astrid smiled.

"Hiccup made it."

"Really? Well, I knew he was Gobber's apprentice but I never thought he would amount to much of a blacksmith… well I never really thought he would amount to much of anything to be honest."

Burp chuckled to himself as Astrid scowled at him,

"You know, for someone who's here to learn about neighboring tribes, you know very little about this tribe's future chief."

"Oh you're wrong there, missy. I know plenty. In fact I have plans later today with said future chief."

Astrid raised her eyebrows,

"Oh I seriously doubt-"

"Astrid! And… Burp? I thought you were spending the morning with my dad?"

Astrid turned around to see Hiccup making his way to the forge with Toothless in tow, and from the corner of her eye she noticed Burp's gaze locked on the black dragon.

"I was. Unfortunately, he wanted to start the morning with some target practice and I found myself without a weapon. Your father offered to let me use one of his, but I could hardly lift it off the ground."

Burp gave a hearty chuckle and Hiccup grinned,

"Well I can fix that in no time. What are we talking here, sword- mace?"

Burp gave a sidelong glance at Astrid,

"I think I'll take an axe. Maybe Astrid here will give me a few pointers."

He winked at her and Astrid snorted in disgust.

This went unnoticed by Hiccup, who was preoccupied with untying a knot in his apron,

"Sure! I'll get right on that. Anything you need, Astrid?"

"Yeah, I need my axe sharpened," she glanced at Burp, "but I'll come by later."

A squawk outside alerted her that Stormfly had arrived.

"I've got to go, I'll see you around Hiccup."

He had disappeared into the back room, but she heard him yell out a faint, "bye!"

She turned to leave but Burp was blocking the exit,

"It was nice talking to you, Astrid. I hope I'll see you again soon."

She shouldered her way past him and yelled over her shoulder, "Yeah. Maybe."

She mounted Stormfly in one fluid motion, but before taking off she spared the quickest of glances back at the forge, where for a split second she saw Burp staring out the window at her before Stormfly took off into the sky.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Hello all! Thank you for the reviews, favorites and follows :)

*~*11*11*~*

"Well, it's pretty obvious that the Night Fury is the best."

"I don't want to sound bias- but they are pretty great."

Hiccup and Burp were seated across from each other in the mead hall, the Book of Dragons laying open between them.

"I just don't understand how Toothless is the _only_ one. How does something like that happen?"

Hiccup shrugged,

"No one knows. But then again, there's so much out there we haven't discovered. For all we know there could be an entire island of Night Furies."

Burp chuckled as he absently flipped through the pages,

"I doubt that… but I guess being one of a kind is what makes Night Furies so special."

Hiccup frowned,

"All dragons are special. Each species has their strengths and their weaknesses. Take the Gronkle- they're not very fast but they have extremely thick hides that give them a lot of protection."

Burp didn't seem to hear him,

"Say you didn't have Toothless- what dragon would you want then?" Burp asked, still flipping through the pages.

"That's… that's a good question. I've never really thought about it before."

"Really?"

"Yeah… I- I just can't see myself with any other dragon."

They sat in silence for a while, until the hall door burst open and a pillar of sunlight streamed into the room.

"Burp!"

Hiccup turned in unison with his cousin to find Snotlout, flanked by the twins, standing in the threshold.

"Snotty!"

Burp stood to greet Snotlout, who gestured to his posse.

"You remember Ruffnut and Tuffnut, right?"

Burp acknowledged them both with a nod of his head,

"Ah, yes. The yak tippers."

"Guilty as charged!" Tuffnut said with a bow.

"Ew, what are you doing with the Book of Dragons? Hiccup isn't trying to _teach_ you, is he?" Ruffnut asked, reaching over the table to grab the book.

Hiccup rolled his eyes,

"He _asked_ me to, Ruff."

"Why would he do that?"

Burp chuckled and Hiccup sighed,

"What are you guys doing here?"

"We came to get Burp- Hookfang is sick and he keeps sneezing and setting things on fire. It's _wicked!_ "

Burp raised an eyebrow,

"Hookfang?"

Snotlout puffed out his chest proudly,

"My dragon. A Monstrous Nightmare."

"You have a Monstrous Nightmare? _Really_?"

"Yeah, well, you know. Not many people can train them- I'm just _that_ good."

Tuffnut scoffed,

"A Monstrous Nightmare is nothing! Zipplebacks are so hard to train that you need _two_ riders!"

"No you don't, you idiot- you need two people to _ride_ them!" Ruffnut said, smacking the back of his head.

Burp ignored them and turned to Hiccup,

"So you have Toothless, Snotlout has a Monstrous Nightmare, these two have a Zippleback… what other dragons do you have on the island?"

Hiccup scratched his head,

"Well… our other friend, Fishlegs, has a Gronkle, Astrid has a Deadly Nadder, my dad just trained-"

"Really? A Deadly Nadder?"

"Yeah, a blue one- Stormfly."

"So what are they like- Deadly Nadders?"

"Fast, and smart."

Ruffnut groaned,

"Ugh, quit _learning_ and let's go watch Hookfang blow things up!"

Burp grinned,

"Sure, why not? I mean- who doesn't like a good explosion every now and again?"

*~*11*11*~*

Later that day, Astrid returned to the forge with Stormfly, pleased to find Toothless resting outside because that meant that Hiccup was inside. After scratching the black dragon under the chin she proceeded into the forge.

"Hiccup?"

"In the back!"

She pulled the curtain to the back room aside and found Hiccup leaning over a desk, working on a new blueprint. His hands were covered in charcoal and when he looked up briefly to smile at Astrid she saw he also had a charcoal smear on his forehead.

"Hello, milady."

"Hiccup. What are you up to?"

"Trying to figure out how I'm going to design Burp's axe. With his build I designed it like my dad's, but I'm afraid it will be too heavy."

He scratched his chin, leaving a line of charcoal there, too.

Astrid snorted and leaned on the doorframe,

"I don't see why you're making him an axe at all. What's he ever done for you?"

Hiccup looked up sheepishly,

"Oh right. I, uh, forgot to tell you… Well, right after we went flying yesterday, I got home and my dad was telling Burp about the Red Death, and then- all of a sudden it's like he's this new person! I went to my room to grab a few things, and we started talking and he tells me that he was mean when we were kids because he thought that I would ruin his reputation- and I guess that now he knows I'm not _Hiccup the Useless_ he isn't ashamed to be around me anymore."

Astrid gaped at him,

"He _what?_ "

Hiccup scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably,

"I know, I didn't know what to say."

"So what did you do?"

"Well I forgave him, I guess. I mean- he asked me to teach him about dragons and I said that I would. I was actually with him this morning."

Astrid bit her lip and looked away.

"What?" Hiccup asked.

Astrid turned around and found him staring at her inquisitively.

"Nothing! I just… don't you think it's weird that your cousin starts being nice to you _after_ he hears about the Red Death?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… Hiccup, anyone who hears that story is going to be impressed. Don't you think it's possible that he just respects what you did, and not… _you_?"

Hiccup shrugged,

"It sounds the same to me. As long as he isn't putting dead rats in my boots I'm happy."

Astrid sighed,

"Just… all I'm saying is be careful around him."

Hiccup grinned at her,

"You don't need to tell me twice. Hey, why don't you help me teach him about the dragons? You can tell him about Nadders. He seemed really interested in them."

Astrid snorted,

"I think I'd rather go swimming with a Scauldron."

Hiccup frowned,

"He really isn't that bad once you get to know him- he's better than Snotlout."

Astrid rolled her eyes,

 _"Anyone's_ better than Snotlout."

"Can you just... Promise me you'll give him a chance? He isn't as bad as you think."

Astrid glared at him before sighing in defeat,

"Ugh- fine! Fine! But if you're wrong..."

Her sentence trailed off threatening and Hiccup chuckled before gesturing to her axe that was hanging from her belt,

"Still need your axe sharpened?"

Astrid lifted it from her belt and offered him the hilt,

"I'm on it."

Hiccup had just taken her axe and walked over to the grinder when a voice called out from outside,

"Hiccup? Are you here?"

"Yeah, inside!"

Burp walked in and when he saw Astrid his face split into a grin,

"Astrid! Nice to see you again."

Astrid ignored him, focusing on Hiccups hands as they guided the blade of the axe to the sharpener.

"Is that your dragon outside?"

She nodded curtly.

"It's beautiful. What kind of dragon is it?"

" _She's_ a Deadly Nadder."

"My friend lost an arm to a Nadder during a raid a while back. Quite a nasty dragon."

Astrid scowled at him,

"What are you doing here?"

"Just came to check on my axe's progress. How's it going then, Hiccup?"

Hiccup briefly stopped sharpening Astrid's axe so answer him,

"Good… I've got a few blueprints I can show you if you want."

"Sure, sure. Say, Astrid. Once it's done I could use some help getting used to it."

Astrid rolled her eyes,

"I'm sure Stoick would be more than happy to give you a few pointers."

"Actually, I was hoping you wouldn't mind-"

"Are you almost done, Hiccup?" Astrid cut across him.

"Just… give… me… one… more… done!"

Hiccup held up her axe in triumph,

"Careful, the edge is really sharp."

"Thanks."

Astrid grabbed it and made a beeline for the door before Burp could block her way. She stopped when she was at the threshold and looked back.

Hiccup was staring at her and Astrid couldn't help but smile at his face covered in charcoal.

"See you later, Hiccup."

*~*11*11*~*

Burp whistled from the window of the forge as he watched Astrid walk away,

"She's quite a spitfire, isn't she?"

Hiccup gave a humorless laugh,

"You have no idea."

Burp rested his elbows on the windowsill and cocked his head to the side,

"You two- are you… together?"

Hiccup's ears turned red and he shrugged,

"Well… Not _officially_."

Burp grinned and looked back out the window,

"Fair play, then."

Hiccup, who was flipping through papers on his desk, stopped and looked up,

"What?"

Burp shrugged nonchalantly,

"Well, seeing as I'm here to find a wife it's good to know all my options."

Hiccup dropped the papers and stared at his cousin,

 _"What?"_

Burp's eyes widened in surprise,

"You didn't know?"

"You're here to… But my dad said- he told me you were here to learn about Berk?"

Burp chuckled,

"Is that what he said? Well… I suppose that's true. He just left out a bit of information is all."

Hiccup ran a hand down his face,

"Oh… oh."

Burp raised an eyebrow,

"Everything all right?"

Hiccup forced a smile,

"What? Noo! I mean- yes! Everything's fine! Everything's _great_! It's just that I, uh, I just remembered I have to be… somewhere. Yeah, I've got to go do… something."

Burp continued to stare at his cousin with raised eyebrows,

"Alright, then. I'll see you about my axe later, I suppose."

"Yeah, your axe… I'll talk to you about it later- bye."

And with that, Burp watched as Hiccup shrugged off his apron and ran out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

***ATTN: the end of this chapter has been revised! I suggest re-reading the last bit before moving onto the next chapter!***

AN: Hi again! I apologize this chapter is a little short! I do NOT own HTTYD!

*~*11*11*~*

Hiccup had no idea what sort of traditions other tribes had. For all he knew, Burp could be making up the whole marriage thing just to get a rise out of him. But then again, there was the chance that he could be telling the truth.

Even though things between him and his father had improved significantly after the Red Death ordeal, there were still things Hiccup felt uncomfortable discussing with him.

This was one of those things. Instead, Hiccup sought out Gobber, who could usually be found at one of two places: the forge or the docks.

Through process of elimination, Hiccup half-walked half-ran to the docks. When he arrived, he found Gobber deep in conversation with Trader Johan. When the latter saw Hiccup approaching he waved his hand in greeting,

"Hiccup! So nice to see you! You've grown a head since I've last been to Berk! Wait until you see what I have-"

"Thank you, Trader Johan, thanks… but I really need to talk to Gobber."

Gobber raised an eyebrow at him,

"Me, eh? Say- if you're here and I'm here, who's manning the forge?"

"Uhh…" Hiccup hesitated.

Gobber smacked him on the back of the head,

"Come on, lad. There'll be a mob of angry Vikings waiting for us when we get back if we don't hurry."

They said goodbye to Trader Johan and Hiccup followed Gobber in silence. It wasn't until they were halfway to the forge when the older man spoke,

"So are you going to tell me why you came looking for me- or do you want me to guess?"

"I just wanted to talk to you about… something."

"Well that narrows it down now, doesn't it?"

Hiccup glared at him,

"I wanted to talk to you about Burp."

Gobber stopped short and Hiccup nearly rammed headfirst into his back,

"He's not still putting rats in your boots is he? Odin's beard your feet would smell for weeks!"

"No- no, no he stopped doing that."

"Then what seems to be the problem?"

Hiccup hesitated,

"Well… Gobber- why is he here?"

"Eh?"

"Why is he visiting Berk? He hasn't been here since my mom… you know, so why is he here now?"

Gobber started walking again and Hiccup followed.

"Right of passage. It's tradition for some tribe's heirs to explore other tribes before they take up the mantle themselves. Surely Stoick told you this?"

"He did but… but is that the _only_ reason he's here?"

"Well I'm sure he wants to learn about dragons. Not many other places you can do that, now are there?"

"I mean are there any other traditions? Things he needs to do before he can become chief?"

"Eh… Well in some tribes the chief needs a wife. Not sure how strict the Bone Breakers are about it, though. The Hooligans don't give a troll's-"

"Thanks, Gobber," Hiccup cut him off and started walking in the opposite direction.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?"

Hiccup, already several yards away, looked over his shoulder,

"I need to find Astrid!"

*~*11*11*~*

Astrid hacked her way through the lush undergrowth of Berk's forest with her sharpened axe, mulling over what Hiccup had said about Burp.

It just didn't add up.

When they were kids, Burp would torment Hiccup more than Snotlout. He didn't bother to visit after Valka was taken and now, years later, he shows up and decides to befriend Hiccup _after_ he learns about all of his successes?

Something wasn't right.

Hiccup might not be able to see it, but she was sure that Burp had an ulterior motive- and she was determined to find out what it was.

A little while later, Astrid found a clearing in the woods with lots of thick trees surrounding it. She sketched a bullseye on a few of them and then began target practice.

It was a great way to relieve stress. She would channel all her anger and wrath into throwing the axe, and feel relief and satisfaction at the thud of the axe embedding itself in the tree.

Today, however, she did not get that satisfaction.

For some reason, she couldn't hit the target. No matter how impeccable her aim was, her axe always veered to the left.

After this happened for the third time in a row, Astrid let out a frustrated yell.

"Something wrong?"

Astrid whipped around and curled her hands into fists, ready to face the newcomer.

"Whoa, easy!"

Burp. Astrid scowled,

"What do you want?"

He shrugged,

"I was exploring and I heard you yell… are you alright?"

Astrid grit her teeth and walked to retrieve her axe from the dirt,

"I'm fine."

Burp grinned, his teeth glinting in the sunlight,

"Good thing. What are you doing out here all alone?"

Astrid gestured to her axe and turned to throw it again.

"Ah, target practice. Do you come here often?"

Astrid ignored him as her axe once again landed too far left.

"Do you mind if I give it a go?"

Astrid raised an eyebrow at him,

"Fine," She said coolly.

Normally, she wouldn't let anyone but Hiccup handle her axe, but she was curious to see if the axe would fly straight when someone else threw it. Burp went to retrieve the axe from the ground and weighed it in his hands,

"The blade is uneven."

"What?"

"The axe's blade. Hiccup sharpened it unevenly- see? He took more off this side so it's heavier than this one. It's throwing off your trajectory."

Astrid took it and ran her fingers over the edge.

He was right.

"That's weird. Hiccup's normally really good at sharpening it."

Burp scoffed and Astrid glared at him.

"Sorry. It's just… I'm still getting used to Hiccup being good at anything."

"Well you'd _better_ get used to it."

Astrid replaced her axe on her belt and turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Burp asked.

"Home."

"Why?"

Astrid turned around and put her hands on her hips,

"Because I came here to throw my axe and seeing as my axe isn't in a throw-able condition there's no reason for me to be here, is there?"

"Here-" Burp pulled a knife from his belt, "ever thrown a knife before?"

Astrid scowled at him,

"What kind of Viking do you think I am?"

Burp grinned,

"How about some friendly competition? One throw each- whoever hits closer to the center of the target wins."

"And why would I do that?"

"You don't seem like the kind of person to back away from a challenge."

"I'm not. I just don't see the point."

"Well then how about we make a deal?"

Astrid cocked her head to the side,

"What kind of a deal?"

Burp grinned,

"Well… if I lose I give you my word that I'll lay off Hiccup."

Astrid narrowed her eyes,

"And if you win?"

Burp grin wider,

"Then you have to help me break in my axe once Hiccup finishes it."

Astrid contemplated for a moment, and then-

"Deal."

Burp continued to grin and held his hand out for Astrid. She took it and they shook once.

"Excellent," Burp said, "let's get to it, then. Ladies first?"

Astrid stepped forward and pulled out her own knife, weighing it in her hand and focusing on the tiny circle in the center of the target.

She drew her arm back, eyes still glued to the target, and then shot it forward, releasing the knife in a perfect spiral.

It soared through the air and then fixed itself neatly in the tree, half a centimeter away from the center of the circle.

"Ha! Beat that!"

Burp whistled,

"You have quite the arm."

Astrid ignored him,

"Your turn."

Burp took her spot and tightly gripped his knife. He eyed the target and took a deep breath before whipping the knife in the direction of the tree.

It landed with a thud directly in the middle of the center circle.

He whooped and turn to face Astrid,

"Well would you look at that! Seems you owe me a private lesson."

Astrid glared at him with a mix of reluctant awe and annoyance. She was not accustomed to being bested.

"Best out of three."

Burp laughed,

"Come now, a deal's a deal! We shook on it."

Astrid clenched her fist. On a whole, Vikings weren't known to oblige to deals, but she was one to stick to her word.

"Fine."

The word tasted like acid in her mouth and she had to look away as Burp grinned.

"Excellent! We can get started just as soon as Hiccup's finished with my axe."

Astrid ignored him and trudged to retrieve her knife from the tree. After pulling it from the bark she spoke over her shoulder,

"How'd you learn how to throw a knife like that?"

"My mom. Shes a wee thing- a lot like Hiccup. Growing up she couldn't handle most weapons, they were too heavy. But with the dragon raids and what not she had to defend herself somehow, so she took to throwing knifes. It wasn't enough to kill the beasts, but it sure distracted them so that others could."

Astrid winced and Burp frowned,

"I keep forgetting you Berkians keep them as pets."

"Yeah, well... It wasn't always like this."

Burp contemplated her for a moment,

"I'll tell you what, you help me with my axe and I'll give you a few pointers on how to throw your knife... What do you say?"

Astrid bit her lip. She was torn between wanting to better herself, and not wanting to spend any more unnecessary time with Burp- but then she remembered her conversation with Hiccup, and how he had said that Burp isn't that bad. And besides, if she had to help him she might as well get something out of it, too.

"All right, fine."

Burp grinned,

"Excellent! Then it's a date."

Before Astrid could respond, Burp turned and walked away, leaving her slack-jawed and confused.

*~*11*11*~*

AN: For the record: I know absolutely nothing about axe/knife throwing- I just used my imagination. If you are an axe/knife throwing expert and are offended at my description please feel free to PM me and describe how it's done and I will be happy to re-write it :)


	5. Chapter 5

AN: I know it's been **forever** , but I am determined to finish this story! Favorites and reviews are always appreciated :) I do not own anything.

UPDATE: the last part has been _slightly_ revised but nothing drastic enough to warrant a re-read. Enjoy, and please review! :)

*~*11*11*~*

Hiccup trudged his way to his house, expecting to find Toothless there, waiting for him to return from the forge. However when he arrived the black dragon was nowhere in sight.

"Toothless?"

No response. Hiccup sighed and cupped his hands around his mouth,

"Toothless!"

Nothing.

"Useless reptile..." Hiccup grumbled under his breath.

He turned around and found Ruffnut and Tuffnut walking past his house, the latter with a bloody nose.

"Hey Ruff, Tuff... What happened to your nose?"

"What, this?" Tuffnut asked, pointing to his purple and red nose. Hiccup nodded uncertainly.

"Oh, well Ruffnut bet me her half of the yak that I couldn't punch myself in the face," he smirked at her, "bet you're feeling pretty stupid now, huh?"

Ruffnut grinned, "oh yeah, you showed me."

Hiccup rolled his eyes,

"Have you guys seen Toothless?" He asked, hoping to steer the conversation elsewhere.

"Who?" Tuffnut asked, "Toothless your dragon, or the old man who doesn't have any teeth and smells like dragon dung?"

Hiccup refrained from rolling his eyes with difficulty,

"Toothless my dragon."

Ruffnut scoffed,

"We can't even keep track of our dragon, how do you expect us to know where yours is?"

"Oh believe me, I don't. I was just wondering if you saw him on your way here."

"Well we haven't, but if you're looking for the smelly old man he's in the mead hall."

"Thanks," Hiccup said and turned around, waving goodbye over his shoulder, "I'll see you guys later, I have to find my dragon."

*~*11*11*~*

After Burp left, Astrid stood rooted to the spot in the forest, her hand still tightly gripping her knife.

 _"It's a date."_

That son of a troll! It most definitely was _not_ a date!

She gripped her knife tighter- if he hadn't caught her so off guard she would have gouged his eye out with it.

Seething, Astrid let out some of her anger by hacking her way back to the village.

Who did he think he was?!

First he challenges her to a competition that he _knows_ he'll win, then he sets the terms to his advantage- and then he has the audacity to call it a _date_?!

Astrid grit her teeth.

No wonder Hiccup hated him.

As she slashed her way through a thicket of prickles, she wondered idly what Hiccup would make of their arrangement.

She sighed- no matter what he thought, there was no way she could get out of helping Burp with his axe, and she had already accepted his offer to help her with her knife. They had an agreement and Astrid _always_ kept her word.

She cut down a small sapling with a slash of her axe and then paused, listening.

She thought she heard a distant pounding, like heavy footsteps. At first it was hard to discern but it gradually became louder and louder.

Astrid held her axe at the ready, prepared to face the newcomer.

The pounding suddenly stopped and a large black shape pounced from the bushes, nearly causing Astrid to topple over.

"Toothless!"

He licked her face enthusiastically and Astrid pushed him away,

"Yech!" She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand, but her face was still glistening with saliva.

Toothless watched, amused, and grumbled softly.

"What are you doing all the way out here?"

She looked past him, expecting to see Hiccup come barreling through the woods. When he didn't she looked back at Toothless, who was staring at her expectantly.

"Where's Hiccup?"

Toothless blinked then cocked his head to the side, evidently confused.

"He's not with you? Well he's not with me either."

Toothless grunted in annoyance and turned to walk away.

"Wait! I'll help you find him, he'll be easier to spot from above."

Toothless waited patiently as Astrid adjusted the saddle and climbed onto his back.

"Ready?"

It took her a while to get situated in Hiccup's saddle, but when she finally got settled they took to the sky.

*~*11*11*~*

Hiccup wandered the village thinking of all the different places Toothless could be. He wasn't paying any attention to where he was going, and it wasn't until he heard a shrill cry that he was jerked out of his reverie.

"Noo! Stop it, come back here! That isn't yours!"

Hiccup hurried to the source of the noise and stopped short when he found it. Hookfang was running away from a small shed with a fish tail sticking out of his mouth. As he watched, the scarlet dragon spread his wings and took off into the sky.

Back on the ground, Fishlegs stood inside the shed beside an empty barrel and a disgruntled looking Meatlug.

"Hiccup!" Fishlegs exclaimed, "I'm so glad you're here! I was just giving Meatlug here a little snack, and I ran out of rocks so I was going to give her some fish- but then Hookfang came out of nowhere and took it right out of my hand!" As he spoke his voice got higher and higher until it sounded like he wasn't making any noise at all.

"Sorry, Fishlegs. I've tried talking to Snotlout about having his own barrel of fish for Hookfang, but you know how he is- nothing gets through his thick skull."

Fishlegs still looked disheveled,

"But his dragon took Meatlug's fish! She's a big girl, she needs her food!"

Hiccup ran a hand down his face,

"I'll try talking to him again, but I can't promise any guarantees."

As he spoke, a shadow descended over them and they both looked up in time to see Toothless land several feet away with Astrid on his back.

"Toothless! There you are!" Hiccup exclaimed.

"He was looking for you," Astrid said as she dismounted, "He tracked me down- I guess he thought we'd be together."

Hiccup pet Toothless' head and grinned at her,

"I was actually looking for him so we could go looking for you."

"Why?"

Hiccup's smile faltered and he hesitated.

Should he tell her? If she knew why Burp was here she might be encouraged to keep her distance. But did she _really_ need to know? From their conversation this morning it seemed like she didn't need any encouraging.

"It wasn't important," Hiccup shrugged.

Astrid switched her attention to Fishlegs, who was still pouting next to his empty barrel,

"Everything okay 'Legs?"

"No! Everything is _not_ okay, Astrid. Hookfang took Meatlug's fish _again!_ My poor girl's going to go hungry if he keeps this up!"

He went over to hug Meatlug and Astrid rolled her eyes when his back was turned,

"Well why don't you talk to Snotlout?"

Fishlegs snorted,

" _Please!_ He never listens to anything I say."

Hiccup sighed,

"Come on, Fishlegs. I'll help you talk to him."

*~*11*11*~*

When they arrived at the village they found Snotlout deep in conversation with Ruffnut and Tuffnut outside the mead hall. When he caught sight of the approaching trio he stopped talking mid-sentence and nudged the twins. They all watched them approach in silence until Tuffnut leaned over to Snotlout and spoke in a loud whisper,

"Wait, I don't get it… If Burp said he's going on a date with Astrid- why is she still hanging out with Hiccup?"

Astrid clenched her jaw as Fishlegs and Hiccup looked at her in confusion,

"Burp what?"

"I am not going on a date with Burp," Astrid said loudly, "I just saw him today when I was throwing my axe. We had a bet and I lost, so I have to give him a few pointers when he gets his new axe. It's really not a big deal."

"What kind of bet?" Ruffnut asked.

"Does it involve half a yak and a punch to the face? Cause let me tell you, half a yak is not worth it," Tuffnut added.

"What? No," Astrid said irritably, "It was whoever could land a knife closer to the center of a target, and -"

"And you lost?" Ruffnut gaped, "But you never lose!"

"Did you lose on purpose?" Tuffnut asked.

"I bet that she did!" Snotlout said, "So she can hang out with Burp without Hiccup getting all whiney about it."

"You know, Snotlout, I am right here," Hiccup said dryly.

"Of course I didn't lose on purpose, what kind of Viking do you think I am?" Astrid snapped.

"Apparently one who can't throw a knife very well," Ruffnut snickered.

"Whatever," Astrid crossed her arms, "I could still beat any of you with one hand tied behind my back."

"Now that is something I would love to see!"

The group turned and Astrid inwardly groaned. Burp was striding up to them, a shiny silver axe glinting on his belt. When he reached the group he unsheathed it and held it up for them to see,

"My crew found this beauty stuffed below deck. Must have been forgotten after a raid," he turned to Hiccup and grinned, "Guess I won't be needing that new axe after all."

"Yeah... I guess not."

"Oh, and Gobber was looking for you," Burp added, carefully flicking imaginary dust off the blade of his axe, "He said something about your blueprints and a fire in the forge…?"

"What?! I've got to go, I'll see you guys later," he said frantically before turning on his heels and sprinting in the direction of the forge.

Fishlegs watched him go wearing a distressed expression before suddenly taking off behind him,

"But Hiccup- WHAT ABOUT MEATLUG?!"

Astrid watched them go, a slight frown on her face,

"A fire in the forge? There's always a fire in the forge."

Burp beamed at her,

"Right you are,"

"And his blueprints…?"Astrid inquired, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh, they're fine… unless Gobber threw them out, that is. I walked past the forge on my way here and he was hollering his head off about the mess," Burp chuckled.

"So you lied."

"Ahh, I just didn't want him tagging along on our training session. Now that I've got myself a decent axe I thought I would take you up on the deal we made this morning. What do you say tomorrow morning we head out and give her a whirl?"

Astrid eyed him warily,

"I normally spend the morning with Stormfly, if we don't go flying first thing she'll be restless all day and-"

"Afterwards then, before lunch. Come now, a deal's a deal, remember?"

Astrid huffed in annoyance,

"Fine- fine! But only for a little while, I have things I need to do."

Burp beamed again,

"Excellent! Shall we meet at the mead hall?"

"Fine," Astrid mumbled.

Burp shot her one last grin and gave a careless wave to Snotlout and the twins before sauntering away.

Astrid watched him go, a scowl on her face. When he was out of earshot Snotlout scoffed and she glared at him.

"What?"

Snotlout shrugged,

"I'm just wondering what you see in Burp that you don't see in me."

Astrid clenched her jaw and considered hitting him, but was distracted when Tuffnut waved his hands in the air.

"Wait… so you're not going on dates with Burp- but you are going on dates with him? I don't get it…"

He glanced at Ruffnut, who looked just as puzzled and shook her head.

Astrid's anger flared, and she raised her fist ominously,

"For the last time, it is not a date- and if I hear one more word about it my fist is going to meet your face."

Tuffnut cocked his head to the side,

"What do you- OOOW!"

Quicker than a blink of an eye, Astrid had brought her arm back and shot it forward, hitting Tuffnut with her fist right above his left eye.

"Oh I am hurt! I am very much hurt!"

Astrid smirked with satisfaction and turned to Snotlout and Ruffnut, who both stepped back automatically.

"That's what I thought," she said loftily before turning on her heel and striding away.


	6. Chapter 6

When Hiccup reached the forge he barged in the front door and grabbed a table for support,

"Heard there was – fire – my blueprints," he broke off panting, and Gobber raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not sure where you're getting your information from, but it seems to be a wee bit faulty. The only fire here is in there," he gestured to the fireplace with his prosthetic hand.

Hiccup straightened up and wiped sweat from his forehead,

"No fire? But Burp said-"

"You ran all the way here because of something _Burp_ told you?" Gobber shook his head, "You're as thick as a troll, you know that?"

Hiccup furrowed his brow in confusion,

"But – but he was being so…" Hiccup's voice trailed off and his confusion was replaced with an ugly look.

"Eh?" Gobber said.

"Astrid was right, I never should have let him fool me. As soon as I tell him everything I know about dragons I'm right back to being _Hiccup the Useless_ again," he groaned in frustration and threw himself onto an old chair.

"What's this, now?" Gobber asked.

Hiccup sighed, running a hand down the side of his face,

"Last night my dad told Burp the story of the Red Death, and he really seemed to have turned around. He told me that he was mean to me when we were kids because he was ashamed to be around me, but now he isn't because of what I did – or, wasn't," Hiccup scoffed, "Astrid tried to tell me that he didn't actually respect me, and warned me to be careful around him – but I met with him at lunch and we went through the book of dragons… And _now_ he tells me there's a fire in the forge, when there very clearly is _not_."

Hiccup hesitated, wondering if he should mention Burp's intentions on Berk, but before he could voice his concerns Gobber scoffed,

"Ah, don't be too hard on yourself," Gobber said indifferently, "Let 'em play his tricks. He'll be gone in a month and things will be back to the way they were. Now, since you're here will ya help me with some of these orders?"

Hiccup stood up and shook his head,

"I can't, I really need to go talk to Ast-"

"Come on, now! I'm up to my elbows in orders!"

Hiccup glanced longingly out the door, but he knew he was trapped. With a sigh, he grabbed his apron from the peg on the wall and got to work.

*~*11*11*~*

The next morning, Astrid woke up with a knot in her stomach and a ringing in her ears. Outside her window, Stormfly was squawking impatiently.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she yelled out to her dragon.

Groaning, she left the warmth and comfort of her bed and threw on her armor. Skipping breakfast, she ran straight out to Stormfly.

"Hey, girl. Ready for a nice, _long_ flight?"

Stormfly purred, leaning into Astrid's hand. Astrid sighed and scratched underneath her chin,

"I wish we could go flying _all_ day…"

But after three laps around the island Stormfly started to show signs of fatigue, and Astrid knew she couldn't continue to delay the inevitable. She landed neatly outside the forge, hoping to see Hiccup before she left to meet Burp.

"Hello?"

When she walked inside she found Hiccup fast asleep on his workbench, snoring softly. His hands were covered in charcoal, and a stack of blueprints were serving as a makeshift pillow. She leaned on the door frame and watched him, smiling.

She didn't need to wake him up. She'd find him after her session with Burp. Astrid watched him sleep for a few more moments, and then turned and walked in the direction of the mead hall.

Burp was waiting when she arrived, his new axe glinting on his belt. He grinned when he saw her approaching,

"Glad you could make it! I was afraid you weren't going to show up."

"I thought about it," Astrid said dryly.

Burp chuckled,

"Ready, then? Why don't we go to your spot in the forest? It offers a nice amount of – ah – _privacy._ "

Astrid rolled her eyes but started to walk in the direction of the woods. Burp chuckled and followed in her wake, humming tunelessly.

"So where'd you learn how to yield an axe?" He asked after a while, "Not many female warriors in the Bone Breakers can handle such a weapon."

Astrid shrugged,

"Gobber taught me a lot in dragon training- back when we used to learn how to kill them."

"Ah, yes, Gobber is an excellent teacher. When he had two hands he taught me how to string a bow."

"Oh, really?" Astrid asked disinterestedly.

"Aye," Burp grinned at her, "I could teach you sometime, if you'd like."

Astrid hacked her way through the brush with slightly too much vigor,

"I don't think so… We're here."

They had arrived in the clearing where Astrid's roughly-hewn targets were carved into several trees.

"Now what?" Astrid asked

"Why don't we start with the knives?" Burp suggested.

Astrid procured her knife and stared at him expectantly.

Burp's eyes ran up and down her figure, and she repressed a shudder with difficulty.

"Let's start with your form," he said.

Astrid promptly turned her back to him and eyed the nearest target. She weighed the knife in her hand, fitting the worn grooves of the handle into her palm. She narrowed her eyes and took aim at the tree before sending the knife spiraling towards the target. It landed two rings away from the center and Astrid grunted in annoyance,

"I can do better than that," she said as she walked to retrieve her knife.

Burp grinned at her,

"I'm sure that you can – but we need to work on your posture."

"What did I do wrong?"

He frowned and walked over to her,

"You need to angle yourself," he put his hands on either side of her hips to direct her, "turn a little to the right."

Astrid bit back the urge to slap him as he adjusted her stance. His hands lingered for just a little too long before he reluctantly stepped back,

"There. Now give it another go, and really arch your arm when you release – and don't forget to flick your wrist!"

Astrid did as she was told, and to her surprise her knife landed almost dead center.

"Ah-ha! What did I tell you?" Burp exclaimed smugly, "I know _exactly_ how to get things where I want them!"

He winked at her and Astrid blanched, at a loss for words.

*~*11*11*~*

Hiccup suddenly woke with a start.

It took him a minute to adjust to his surroundings and realize that he was sitting at his workbench in the forge. There was a deafening roar from outside, and he realized what had likely woken him up.

"Coming, Toothless!"

Hiccup rubbed his eyes blearily and stumbled outside. Opening the door, he blinked rapidly in the sudden sunlight. Toothless was pacing impatiently and growling in annoyance.

"Sorry, bud, I must have overslept," he glanced at the sun in the sky, " _wow,_ it's almost lunchtime! We'd better hurry if we're going to go for a flight and be back in time for dinner."

Toothless warbled irritably and Hiccup laughed,

"Well I'm sorry! But I'm ready now, so quit your whining and let's go!"

Hiccup mounted Toothless, easily fitting his prosthetic into the stirrup.

"Ready, bud?"

*~*11*11*~*

Several hours later, Hiccup watched the outline of Berk grow larger and larger as he and Toothless made their way home. The landscape was silhouetted against the vibrant orange and pink sunset, and he felt a sudden fondness for the island that he couldn't explain.

Staring at the setting sun with the wind in his hair, Hiccup could almost forget about all of the work he had left to do at the forge, or the suspicions he had about Burp. Whenever he came up here, he was sure to leave whatever problems he had down below.

His feelings of content were lost almost immediately when he flew over the forge and caught sight of Gobber standing outside, flailing his arms madly in an attempt to get his attention.

Hiccup sighed as he and Toothless descended, landing neatly beside him,

"What's up, Gobber?"

"The chief wants to see you."

Hiccup sighed again,

"I'll go home in a little while, I just need to-"

"You'll go home _now._ "

Hiccup stared, taken aback, and he suddenly noticed the unusually somber expression on Gobber's face.

"Gobber… is everything alright?"

Gobber shrugged,

"All I know is Stoick came to the forge and asked me to find you and Astrid. He had that look in his eye, so I wouldn't keep him waiting."

"Me and Astrid? But-"

"That's all I know," Gobber said plainly, but he avoided meeting Hiccup's gaze, "You'd better get going, I'll man the forge tonight."

Hiccup stared at him, trying to decide if it was worth badgering him for more information. Gobber seemed to expect this, so before Hiccup could open his mouth he turned on his heels and walked back into the forge.

"Gobber-"

He abruptly slammed the door shut on him and Hiccup frowned, his feelings of content replaced with a churning anxiety.

Something wasn't right.

*~*11*11*~*

AN: It's happening! :) Don't forget to leave a review!


	7. Chapter 7

_Earlier that night…_

Stoick had just settled down at the table with a steaming bowl of Yak Soup when Burp walked into the room and asked to have a word with him.

Stoick eyed his nephew uncertainly. He was not wearing his helmet and had his hands folded behind his back – notions of respect.

"Of course. Sit down."

Burp took a seat and Stoick folded his hands in his lap and sat back, waiting.

Burp cleared his throat,

"Chief, as I am sure you are aware, in the Bone Breaker Tribe it is tradition for the heir of the tribe to be wed before becoming chief."

Stoick grinned widely,

"Ahh, so that's what this is about. Has a Berkian caught your eye, then?"

Burp grinned slightly,

"Indeed one has. A very special one, too."

Stoick laughed loudly,

"Oh, Odin's beard this is good! Who's the lucky lady?"

Burp sat up straight and grinned,

"Astrid. Astrid Hofferson. I spent the afternoon with her, and she has _everything_ I've been looking for in a wife."

Stoick's smile suddenly became fixed, and his eyes narrowed dangerously,

"Ah. That… That might be a problem."

Burp continued to grin, unperturbed,

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Well… Astrid's one of our best warriors _and_ dragon trainers – she's a double threat. Berk can't afford to lose her. I'm afraid that I can't sign off on such a marriage, the conditions aren't fair."

Burp's eyebrows shot up but his grin remained in place.

"Not fair? But uncle, she's being wed to a future _chief._ Think of the treaties such a marriage would bring forth! The Bone Breaker Tribe has plenty of female warriors I'd be happy to send over as replacements… That is, if that's your only concern?"

Stoick glared at his nephew. He was playing a dangerous game, but it was one that Stoick was very familiar with.

"No matter how many warriors you offer in exchange, none of them will have the bravery to ride a Deadly Nadder into the heart of a battle, or the ability to train a terrible terror to deliver letters! That's just something you're not capable of offering, and without a fair trade –"

"But I hardly believe that it's unfair. You're setting immensely high standards for a simple marriage arrangement," Burp's smile had slid from his face, replaced by a nasty scowl, "Something tells me you don't _want_ to marry Astrid off. I'm offering several of my best female warriors for only one of yours, yet you are adamantly refusing my offer… This doesn't have anything to do with _Hiccup_ , does it?"

Stoick grit his teeth,

"Keep my son out of this."

Burp sprang to his feet and pointed his finger across the table accusingly,

"You're hoping _he'll_ marry her! She's obviously the best thing this wasteland of an island has to offer, and you're hoping that since Hiccup is next in line to become chief she'll want to marry _him!_ "

Stoick stood up slowly, his eyes blazing.

"Thor's hammer, boy! You've got half the archipelago left to visit before you become chief – surely you can find a wife there, then, eh?"

Burp glared at his uncle coldly,

"I won't have it. I've already made my decision. Astrid _will_ be my bride."

Stock pounded his fist on the table,

"Enough of this! You have no right to make such a claim!"

"I will soon enough! You just said it yourself, uncle! There is only have half of the archipelago left for me to explore – and if after that time you still refuse to relinquish my bride, you are standing in the way of me attaining my chiefdom. And that is a warrant for the Bone Breakers to declare war on the Hooligans."

Stoick stared at him, his face ash white,

"You're going to be a fool's chief if your first act is to declare war on a tribe that's been your ally for centuries. Your people won't follow you."

Burp raised his chin,

"But they will follow my father. If you are not going to be reasonable then there is no reason to wait. My father can fight this battle for me – by the time I finish my journey the war will be won, and I can return home to marry my bride and become chief," he smirked at Stoick, "I was merely allowing you time to rethink your decision, but apparently you're not interested in seeing reason."

Stoick glowered down at him, his hand clenched in a fist,

"You're going to regret this."

Burp stared up at him coldly,

"So that's it, then?"

Stoick took a step forward so that Burp's entire figure was clouded by his shadow,

"You don't know what you're doing."

Despite being over a head shorter than Stoick, Burp stood his ground,

"I'll have my crew ready my ship, and I'll set sail by dawn."


	8. Chapter 8

When Hiccup walked into his house with Toothless in tow, he immediately knew something was wrong.

His father was seated at his spot on the table, but his bowl of yak soup was untouched. He didn't look up as Hiccup approached him, his gaze remained fixed on his folded hands. Astrid sat next to him at the table, looking as confused as Hiccup felt.

"Dad? Gobber said you were looking for me, but he-"

"Sit down."

Hiccup exchanged a look with Astrid before taking a seat across from Stoick. Toothless shuffled over and plopped himself in front of the fireplace, purring contentedly.

"We have a situation," Stoick said, his eyes still glued to his hands.

"What's wrong, dad?" Hiccup asked, his voice catching.

Stoick finally looked up and locked eyes with Astrid, "Burp has requested your hand in marriage."

There was a moment of silence, and then the room exploded with the sound of Hiccup's chair crashing to the floor as he stood up,

"No."

Stoick's eyes flickered to his son,

"And that's what I told him. But he has his mind made up."

Astrid jumped to her feet, white-faced, eyes blazing, and shaking with fury,

"I won't marry him."

Stoick's gaze returned to Astrid,

"He threatened to start a war-"

" _Let him_ ," Astrid snarled, pounding her fist on the table, "We've got the dragons, we can take him!"

"Astrid," Stoick said firmly, "The Bone Breaker Tribe is our longest standing ally. We can't afford to have them turn enemy. Think of what you're saying!"

Astrid glared at him in silence.

"There has to be a way to reason with him," Hiccup said desperately.

"I tried," Stoick said, "he won't hear it."

"Let me talk to him," Hiccup suggested.

Astrid's suddenly pounded her fist on the table again,

"I'll kill him. I will _kill_ him!"

Hiccup quickly took a step towards her,

"No one is killing anyone," he turned towards Stoick, "When did he say he was leaving?"

"Dawn. He went to the docks to ready his ship."

Astrid jerked out of Hiccup's hold and made a move towards the door, but Hiccup effectively blocked her,

"Move," she snarled.

"No. Let me go talk to him-"

" _I'm_ going to talk to him," she spat.

"No. I'll-"

Astrid unsheathed her axe,

"Don't make me do it."

Hiccup eyed the blade uneasily, and from his place on the hearth, Toothless growled.

"Enough," Stoick said angrily.

Both heads instantly whipped in his direction and Astrid glared at him,

"Chief-"

"I said enough. Hiccup," he turned towards his son, "If you go to talk to him he'll think you're trying to overpower him. Let Astrid go. Maybe she'll be able to talk some sense into him."

"You're kidding," Hiccup said incredulously as Astrid pushed her way past him and made a beeline to the door.

"But the axe stays here," Stoick called after her.

She froze and turned around, glaring.

"I don't think so."

Stoick glowered at her,

"If you hurt the Bone Breaker's future chief we'll have a lot more than a war on our hands. _The axe stays here_."

Astrid glared at him for a few more seconds before throwing her axe angrily to the floor and marching out the door.

Hiccup watched her go, a pained expression on his face,

"Let me go with her-"

"No," Stoick said sharply "I already told you, you need to stay here. Any kind of confrontation and Burp will think you're trying to override his authority."

"But what if he-"

"Astrid can handle herself," he said firmly, and there was a note of finality in his voice that Hiccup didn't dare contradict.

*~*11*11*~*

AN: Sorry for the short chapter! I wanted to set the scene before I go any further. Don't forget to review! :)


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